Daughter praises efforts of responders in father's fatal crash

May 25, 2013

Written by

Mike Coan

After losing her father in a highly publicized semitrailer accident in Republic, Dawn Cook is now focusing on the positive.

And even in the midst of tragedy, she speaks of how death can create the gift of life.

Her father, Lawrence “Mike” Coan, died in March when a semitrailer traveling west on U.S. 60 did not stop and smashed into a short line of halted vehicles. Two Missouri Highway Patrol investigators testified that the driver was going between 50 and 59 mph at the time of the crash. Coan’s Chevy pickup was destroyed.

Cook, a former CCU nurse, said she understands what it was like for first responders who worked on the scene of the accident, and she wants to thank them for all they do.

Cook said that because of their hard work, her father was able to donate skin, bones and corneas.

Her mother, Joan, was a recipient of a cornea transplant in both eyes. Before the transplant, she had to use a magnifying glass to read.